Patti & Mandy Contest Winner & Other Theater News

Tis the season, so let’s kick off December by giving you the present of a theater news round-up:

JIm Parsons & Lee Pace in "The Normal Heart". Photo by Joan Marcus.

We have a winner! The recipient of two tickets to see An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin is Broadway Blog fan Daryl Lofdahl. (Daryl, drop us a line with your email address to “contact us” above or respond to our Facebook message so we can get you your voucher!)

Looks like Emmy-winner Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) is skipping Santa and going right to the Easter Bunny. Shifting gears for his next Broadway outing following his debut in the emotionally draining A Normal Heart; Parsons will star in a revival of Harvey, the classic comedy about a man with an invisible rabbit friend. The new Roundabout Theatre production is scheduled to open June 14th.

Talk about overstuffing your stocking. The cast list for the upcoming revival of Gore Vidal’s election-themed The Best Manis overflowing with famous names from the stage and screen. The recently announced Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) joins Candice Bergen, James Earl Jones, John Larroquette, Michael McKean and…wait for it…Angela Lansbury.

If you have a friend who invested in The Book of Mormon, get them your holiday wish list pronto; they’re about to come into some serious cash as the production official recouped its initial capitalization during the week ending November 27. Everything from here on out is profit…and for once with this show, that’s no joke.

And speaking of waking up to a lovely present, three Broadway shows received Grammy nominations this morning for Best Musical Theater Album: Anything Goes, The Book of Mormon and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Before we completely lose ourselves in the glitter and spin of holiday festivities, let’s take a fond look back at our favorite stories from November. Think of them as gifts that keep on giving…